Nyctiprogne leucopyga
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The band-tailed nighthawk (Nyctiprogne leucopyga) is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widely spread throughout northern and central South America. Five subspecies are recognised. They are nocturnal birds that feed on flying insects. As with almost all nightjars, they lay their eggs directly on the ground and rely their camouflaged plumage to avoid predation.
The band-tailed nighthawk was formally described and illustrated in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix under the binomial name Caprimulgus leucopygus. Spix specified the habitat as the wooded shores of the Amazon. The specific epithet is derived from Ancient Greek λευκοπυγος/leukopugos meaning "with white rear", from λευκος/leukos meaning "white" and -πυγος/-pugos meaning "-rumped". The band-tailed nighthawk is now placed together with the plain-tailed nighthawk in the genus Nyctiprogne that was introduced in 1847 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
There are 5 recognized subspecies which differ in size, colour and vocalizations. The subspecies N. l. latifascia has been suggested to be a separate species. It is visually distinct from the other...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Band-tailed Nighthawk sighting in Madidi National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 215th most-seen of the 239 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Band-tailed Nighthawk in Madidi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, May–September and November, the lowest months. March and December have too few records to rate.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Band-tailed Nighthawk sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Band-tailed Nighthawk sightings, Madidi National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 40%) and Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Band-tailed Nighthawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Madidi National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
